6-Day Machame -Route

• A transfer from the airport can be arranged for an extra cost.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Moshi-Machame Hut

Elevation Gain: 1,200 meters, 3,935 feet

At 8 Am, leave Moshi to Machame Gate, where you will meet our porters, guides, and cooks that will spend the next six days trekking with you to Uhuru Peak, the roof of Africa. Once you arrive, wait at the gate while we register your climb and the porters and guides make final preparations.
Your first day’s destination is Machame Camp. Each day, porters and cooks will walk ahead to set up the camp in time for your arrival. On the first day, hike through the moss-covered trees of Kilimanjaro’s cloud forest. The forest will thin at the end of the hike and vegetation will change to include heathers, tall grasses and wildflowers. If the weather is clear, view the surrounding area and your ultimate destination, Kibo Peak.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Machame -Shira Camp

Elevation Gain: 840 meters, 2,760 feet

Although considered to be the easiest day on the Machame Route, today’s trek includes several uphill sections. Carry plenty of drinking water, as the exposed hike can be hot on a clear day. There are several viewpoints from which you can see the plains and forests below and Kibo and Mawenzi peaks above.

As you gain altitude, notice the change in vegetation. The trees diminish in size, giving way to Kilimanjaro’s famous high altitude plants, Scenecio kilimanjari and Lobelia deckenii. After eating lunch, climb the Shira Plateau, created when Kibo’s lava flows filled the Shira crater. Continue to Shira Camp, where you will relax for the rest of the day. Kibo lies to the west and Mount Meru to the east.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Shira-Barancco

Total Elevation Gain: 690 meters, 2,264 feet

Although this up and down day ends with an elevation gain of only 110 meters, by early afternoon you will have climbed 690 meters to a height of 4,530 meters before beginning your descent to Barranco Camp. This day is crucial for acclimatization.

After breakfast, hike east on the Shira Plateau before reaching the junction for the Shira and Lemosho Routes. Continue on through the barren landscape before stopping for lunch. Shortly after lunch, reach the highest point of the day before descending quickly to Barranco Camp. Faster hikers can take a detour via Lava Tower, a 300-foot lava formation jutting out of the mountainside.

Barranco Camp, set among stands of Senecio kilimanjari, is considered to be the most scenic campsite on the Machame Route.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Baranco-Barafu

Total Elevation Gain: 690 meters, 2,264 feet

Although this up and down day ends with an elevation gain of only 110 meters, by early afternoon you will have climbed 690 meters to a height of 4,530 meters before beginning your descent to Barranco Camp. This day is crucial for acclimatization.

After breakfast, hike east on the Shira Plateau before reaching the junction for the Shira and Lemosho Routes. Continue on through the barren landscape before stopping for lunch. Shortly after lunch, reach the highest point of the day before descending quickly to Barranco Camp. Faster hikers can take a detour via Lava Tower, a 300-foot lava formation jutting out of the mountainside.

Barranco Camp, set among stands of Senecio kilimanjari, is considered to be the most scenic campsite on the Machame Route.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Barafu -Uhuru Peak-Mweka Camp

Elevation Gain: 1,295 meters, 4,240 feet
Elevation Loss: 2,795 meters, 9,170 feet

Around midnight, begin the final ascent to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. For the next six hours, hike by the light of your headlamp. The ascent to the crater rim is the most challenging part of the entire trek. The trail is very steep until you reach the crater rim at Stella Point.

The hike from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak is a gradual climb and, as far as hikes go, not very difficult. The altitude, however, makes the hike long and tiring. The crater rim hike takes approximately one hour. Upon reaching Uhuru, take photos of your guide and group at the peak before beginning the descent to Mweka Camp. On the way down from Uhuru, enjoy views of the mountain, crater, clouds and glaciers.

At Barafu Camp, eat breakfast and take a short break. You still have another three to five hours to go before reaching Mweka Camp.

Main Destination:

Uhuru Peak (Mt Kilimanjaro)

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Mweka Camp-Moshi

Elevation Loss: 1,600 meters, 5,250 feet

After breakfast, finish the trek with a descent to Mweka Gate. Your last hike on Kilimanjaro is a beautiful one, passing through Kilimanjaro’s cloud forest. Watch your step during the descent, as the trail can be slippery. Our vehicles will be waiting at the lower station of Mweka Gate to take you back to Moshi.

Main Destination:

Moshi (Town)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• A transfer back to the airport can be arranged for an extra cost.